Easley Winery
Easley Winery is In Downtown Indianapolis in the Cole Noble District. It was founded in 1974 by Jack and Joan Easley and is now the largest family owned winery in the state of Indiana. Their wines can be found across the United States in states such as Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, Illinois, Tennessee, West Virginia, Washington, D.C., Florida, New York/New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and Arkansas.
History
In the 1960's, living in Indianapolis, Jack practiced law and Joan owned her own marketing research firm but they also began making wine as a hobby in their basement. They wanted to start their own full time operational winery, but soon learned that it was still illegal to make and sell it in the state of Indiana. They then decided to invest in a small vineyard in southern Michigan. This quickly made them realize that this was not a sustainable dream, to they decided to ban together with a few other Hoosiers who shared the same dream and worked to change the Prohibition era laws.
There were eventually around 12 people who began meeting fairly regularly to plan how to change the laws. The group adopted the name Indiana Wine Growers Guild and the group often meet in the living room of Jack and Joan's house. Since Jack had extensive legal knowledge, he helped the group to incorporate with the Indiana Secretary of State. Eventually, in 1971, the law finally changed and Jack and Joan purchased the former Fertig Ice Cream factory in downtown Indianapolis. A few short years later in 1974, they had their first grape crush. They grew grapes in their Cape Sandy vineyard in Southern Indiana until recent years. Jack and Joan were revolutionary in helping to shape the very way wine and alcohol are consumed in the state.[1]
Present
In its current operation, Mark and Meredith Easley, are the second generation owners that have created wine brands such as Reggae, Easley, Sweet Tulip and many others. They enter in many wine competitions from the Tasters Guild International in Grand Rapids, Michigan to the INDY International Wine Competition in West Lafayette, IN.
The winery is also a part of the Indy Wine Trail.
References
- ↑ "Easley Winery: Our Story". Easley Winery. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
External links
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